Chapter 3431: Ghost Tribe Cold

A large group of Ice Slaves rushed past, chasing Ona and disappearing into the cold fog.

Compared to Zuiyas, Ona was not inferior in other aspects, but in terms of being an old schemer and shamelessness, Ona could not compare.

In the different space, Su Xiao watched the monster group disappear in the distance and decided to wait a moment before leaving the different space.

It was too cold here, cold enough to affect space. In addition, Baja was being affected by "Soul Freezing." It could travel in the different space by itself, but it couldn't let Su Xiao move freely in the different space. Instead, it could only stay in a fixed different space area, thereby avoiding risks.

Wood's whereabouts could be imagined. Su Xiao estimated that the other party would catch up before long. The reason was very simple: this continent looked completely open, but in fact, there were not many places to go initially.

The west and east sides were oceans. Even if there were islands, the exploration value was too low.

Around the "Yada Ancient Capital" in the center, the fog walls that blocked participants from moving forward in the past didn't disappear, but opened a piece in the north and south, allowing participants to leave the central area.

If marching from the north passage of the "Yada Ancient Capital," after leaving the scope of the ancient capital, one would enter the "Cold Graveyard." Although it was dangerous here, it was the only way.

Marching from the opening of the fog wall on the south side of the "Yada Ancient Capital," one would enter the "Hot Jungle." Theoretically speaking, that side was no safer than the "Cold Graveyard."

Either stay in the "Yada Ancient Capital," which had been dug three feet deep by previous participants and whose resources had been scraped clean, or take a risk and leave from the "Cold Graveyard" or "Hot Jungle." Going north was cold, and going south was sultry.

Whether going north or south, at the end of these two directions, one could find a Tree of Origin.

Su Xiao was marching north at this time. Known information was that the Soul-Severing Shadow Stone was in the north. How deep he had to go was unclear. If he could reach the Tree of Origin in the extreme north, the 【Dark Stone】 he obtained before could come in handy. He could obtain the Light Secret Art by awakening the Tree of Origin there.

What was the use of Light Secret Art? Su Xiao didn't know. He would decide whether to exchange it or not when the time came. He was actually more inclined to go to the extreme south to find another Tree of Origin and exchange the 【Dark Stone】 for the "Soul Arena Key."

Being in the different space, Su Xiao saw the outside world as black and white. The surroundings were like being filled with cyan-green liquid. He only needed to lift his hand to ripple the space.

"Boss, it should be about time. Zuiyas's wife runs quite fast."

"..."

Su Xiao was about to leave the different space when he paused. He saw dozens of figures walking from the west side.

This group of people totaled 80. The leader was Xian Ji. On her left and right were Underworld Wolf, Iron Mountain, Beast Hao, Bee, and others.

Underworld Wolf's relationship with these people was not close, but one could see from the standing position that Xian Ji trusted Underworld Wolf the most.

Actually, this was normal. Although Underworld Wolf was often called a mad dog, he was always true to his word regarding promises. Therefore, in the rule-breaker alliance, compared to others, Xian Ji was more willing to cooperate with Underworld Wolf. After all, she didn't need to worry about being stabbed in the back.

At this moment, Iron Mountain was not walking at the very front. From the dazed gaze, one could see how much stimulation he had received before. As an eighth-tier main tank, he was actually hammered to the point of shouting for help at the very beginning. Thinking of this after the battle, he almost died socially.

Except for Xian Ji, Underworld Wolf, Iron Mountain, Beast Hao, and Bee, the remaining 75 rule-breakers also had auras that were not weak. This seemed to be the strongest echelon selected from the rule-breaker alliance.

Su Xiao's strength was not as good as Xian Ji's before, but now, in a single fight, he would definitely win. After all, he had harvested a large amount of resources in the previous world progress. But there was one point: Xian Ji was not standing still.

If Su Xiao went all out, he had the confidence to fight Xian Ji's five-person group alone. The remaining 75 rule-breakers were very troublesome. With such a constant, this group of rule-breakers was very tricky.

As for meeting with Wood and Ona to deal with these rule-breakers together, those two were not fools. They wouldn't put themselves in danger because of Su Xiao's personal grudges.

Ask himself, if Su Xiao were asked to go deep into a nine-dead-one-life dangerous place with Wood to solve the Abyss Jar, he wouldn't go, unless there was an enemy that was beneficial to all three after being defeated, such as the Sun Bird · Taihakak.

Looking at these rule-breakers marching cautiously in the thin fog, Su Xiao estimated that these people were not going to the north to find anything, but were tracking himself.

The Xian Ji team was a combat force that could not be ignored. Fighting them head-on was unwise. The good news was that the Priest was not among them, which made things much easier.

Sometimes, wanting to eliminate enemies didn't necessarily mean fighting head-on. Moreover, Su Xiao really couldn't bear to eliminate them. Having them explore the way in the "Cold Graveyard" was a big help. Su Xiao was worried that his "good teammates" had all scattered.

What Su Xiao needed to determine now was whether these rule-breakers had any means to track him. If they did, it would be a bit troublesome.

A blue light ball floating beside Xian Ji attracted Su Xiao's attention.

This light ball was about the size of a fist. Just a gaze made Su Xiao feel a resonance, or rather, the Green Qing Qing Gang Ying energy in his body was resonating, which made his heart sink gradually, preparing to welcome a fierce battle.

But soon he found that Xian Ji and others were not walking in the direction where he was. That blue light ball didn't have the ability to track him.

This made Su Xiao feel slightly puzzled. That light ball had such a strong resonance with the Green Qing Qing Gang Ying energy in his body, yet it wasn't tracking him. It was truly puzzling.

Soon, Su Xiao figured out what was going on. If he wasn't wrong, that light ball floating beside Xian Ji had a probability of over 90% of sensing the Soul-Severing Shadow Stone. This was the Gray Gentleman's open conspiracy, forcing Su Xiao to go north.

Although Su Xiao had four pieces of Soul-Severing Shadow Stone · Incomplete, he hadn't tried whether the Soul-Severing Shadow Stone · Incomplete could be broken. He estimated that although the Soul-Severing Shadow Stone was precious, it was not indestructible.

The reason why this was said to be an open conspiracy by the Gray Gentleman was that once the Xian Ji team found the Soul-Severing Shadow Stone · Incomplete first, they would destroy it.

As a result, it was equivalent to half-coercing Su Xiao, who had to find the Soul-Severing Shadow Stone in the north at a faster speed than Xian Ji and others.

This would drag Su Xiao down, preventing him from affecting the layout on the Gray Gentleman's side.

Fighting a melee with these rule-breakers was very unwise. Su Xiao could be certain that these rule-breakers must have brought high-damage items given by the Gray Gentleman. They looked like an 80-person team, but the destructive power they could erupt was by no means as simple as it looked.

Su Xiao contacted Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang through the team channel and let Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang mix into the Xian Ji team.

10 minutes later, Su Xiao left the different space, exhaling cold air, and took out the monitoring device from the storage space.

In the terminal in his hand, the screen transmitted back by Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang appeared, and the voices of Xian Ji and others came, the dialogue as follows.

Beast Hao: "How much further? The potion is about to run out."

Iron Mountain: "So fast?"

Xian Ji: "30-person potion, 80 people using it, the consumption is of course fast. Find the Ghost Tribe's habitat as soon as possible. Once there, you don't have to worry about the erosion of Soul Freezing."

Beast Hao: "Xian Ji, we mobilized so many people just to deal with one person, is it worth it?"

Xian Ji: "This is not a question of whether it is worth it or not. Now we can only act according to the Gray Gentleman's plan. You have seen his plan with your own eyes. Can you refuse? Are you willing to refuse?"

Beast Hao: "To be honest, I haven't admired anyone, but this time I admire the Gray Gentleman."

Xian Ji: "Speed up, pass through the monster group in front, and we will reach the Ghost Tribe's habitat. Collect your auras for a while. According to the information, this monster group is in ice sleep. Be cautious enough, and there will be no risk."

Hearing Xian Ji's words, Su Xiao's mood turned from cloudy to sunny. Monster group, collect auras, ice sleep—the operation space for these keywords was too large.

From these words, Su Xiao also learned a piece of information: Xian Ji and others had the terrain information of the north. Although this side had always been sealed before, batches of participants came to the Tree-Born World, among whom it was inevitable that one or two fish slipped through the net, luckily passed through the fog wall, and entered the Cold Graveyard. As a result, the information naturally spread out.

Su Xiao was about to follow Xian Ji and others when he felt a pair of eyes staring at him beside him. Turning his head, it was Ona, whose white robe was slightly damaged. The originally fair skin on her face now had a bit of paleness.

"You run really fast."

This sentence from Su Xiao almost made Ona break her defense. She showed a sweet smile on her face and said:

"Bai Ye, my Soul Freezing degree is about to exceed 50%. Can I buy an anti-freezing potion from you?"

"It's a gift."

Su Xiao threw the injection gun to Ona. Ona was slightly stunned, and the smile on her face wasn't even that sweet. This feeling of a "true teammate" made her very unaccustomed.

"Is there a share for me?"

Wood spoke. As expected of a "good teammate," running faster than a dog when encountering danger, but coming over when smelling benefits.

Su Xiao had a total of 8 doses of anti-Soul Freezing potion, and there were 5 doses left at this time. Considering that he would have to rely on two "good teammates" to attract hatred after encountering danger in the future, Su Xiao threw one dose of anti-Soul Freezing potion to Wood.

Other things aside, don't look at Ona's usual slow lady-like appearance, but she ran really fast just now. It was no wonder Zuiyas and her Ancient God High Priestess mother let her come to the Tree-Born World.

At this time, the formation in the Cold Graveyard was: the Xian Ji team was in the front, and half a kilometer behind were Su Xiao and others. In this terrain, even Wood, who had a strong perception, could only rely on secret treasures to predict danger. The suppression of perception here could be imagined, so Su Xiao didn't worry about being discovered by the rule-breakers in front.

The coldness in the surroundings became more intense. The benefit of high Soul Strength was reflected at this time. Su Xiao's freezing value only rose to 12%.

After marching for more than half an hour, the screen reflected back by Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang in front showed that Xian Ji and others had arrived in front of the monster group.

That was a world of ice and snow. The cold wind carried flying snow. Located on a large piece of bright ice, ice sculptures of various shapes stood here. Most of them were Ice Slaves, and there were also monsters like little giants. Their hands were tied behind their backs by thick shackles, their necks wore heavy wooden shackles covered with frost, and their heads were wrapped with dirty cloth strips.

Besides Ice Slaves and Ice Giants, there were many Ice Demons that were translucent, like ice crystal sculptures.

In the howling cold wind, Xian Ji took off her high heels and walked barefoot on the ice. Her aura was restrained to the limit, and she even held her breath.

Witnessing this scene through the monitoring device, Su Xiao felt that if he didn't do something, he would be sorry for his identity as a Law-Exterminator.

Su Xiao took a piece of flesh from the storage space. As soon as this flesh was taken out, Wood and Ona beside him cast their gazes.

Ona asked: "This is, the aura of an Evil God?"

"Bai Ye, where did you get it?"

"Fished it."

"As expected of you."

Wood could be said to understand in seconds.

"Fished it?"

Ona didn't react for a while. Could Evil Gods also be fished?

After taking out about two catties of Evil God flesh, Su Xiao took out 【Condensed Resentful Blood (Saint Spirit Grade item)】. This was obtained in the Magic Sea. After pouring it on the flesh, it would emit an aura that resentful spirits and dark creatures could not resist.

Ice Slaves, Ice Giants, Ice Demons, etc., clearly all belonged to the categories of resentment, darkness, madness, etc. The attraction of 【Condensed Resentful Blood】 to these monsters was not small.

"Wait."

Wood signaled Su Xiao to temporarily hand over 【Condensed Resentful Blood】 and 【Evil God Flesh】 to him. Su Xiao didn't think Wood would embezzle these things.

Only to see Wood take out the Abyss Jar and put 【Condensed Resentful Blood】 and 【Evil God Flesh】 into it. A few seconds later, he poured out a viscous liquid like petroleum from the Abyss Jar.

"The effect has been enhanced by at least several times."

Wood threw the glass bottle containing the black liquid over. This was a thank-you for the 【Anti-Soul Freezing Potion】.

Su Xiao put the glass bottle into the team storage space and then contacted Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang.

At the same time, on the ice surface where the monster group was located, Xian Ji and others were walking slowly among the "ice sculptures." Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang, who had been following Xian Ji, began to look for a target.

Xian Ji was ignored first; the other party's vigilance was too strong. Underworld Wolf was also the same; the other party ran fast. Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang's gaze wandered between Iron Mountain, Beast Hao, and Bee, and finally stopped on Iron Mountain. The slow-running iron silly guy, it was decided to be you.

Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang, integrated into the environment, quietly came behind Iron Mountain. It took out a glass bottle from the team storage space and held it in its mouth. It shook its dog head with all its might, and with a 'slap,' the glass bottle exploded behind Iron Mountain. After doing all this, Xiang Bubu immediately pretended to be dead.

【Xiang Bubu Teni · Skill 7: Ah, I'm dead (Passive, self-comprehended skill), Xiang Bubu Teni can enter the feigned death state after integrating into the environment, significantly enhancing the integration effect (Hidden Tier +1).】

The broken glass bottle and black liquid exploded behind Iron Mountain. In the quiet ice surface, this sound was exceptionally obvious. Everyone's gaze was cast on Iron Mountain, and Iron Mountain himself was also confused.

Iron Mountain touched his back, and the viscous liquid like petroleum stuck to his hand. He reacted; this was a sneak attack.

The ice surface returned to silence. Xian Ji didn't even dare to breathe loudly at this moment. The strength of the monsters in this world was outrageously high. If the monsters here were awakened, they would suffer. If it weren't for the last resort, she wouldn't pass through this ghostly place.

Crack~

A crisp sound came. The ice layer on the upper body of an Ice Giant shattered. It had just awakened when it twitched its rough nose covered with pustules. A "fragrance" that it couldn't resist entered its nasal cavity.

After a series of crisp sounds, most of the monsters on the ice surface broke the ice and awakened.

"Run!"

Xian Ji shouted. Her skirt ribbons intertwined, turning into a pair of huge wings, and she soared into the sky.

Underworld Wolf completely wolf-transformed, turning into a black wolf and rushing forward. Beast Hao, as a technique type, had no problem with charging speed. Bee was even more straightforward; she rolled her eyes and fell down to pretend to be dead.

"Roar!!"

"Cackle~"

Dense roars and strange sounds came one after another. Iron Mountain almost defecated on the spot and took big strides to run.

Several Ice Giants behind him, like the strange species of the Giant World, chased with strange running postures. The Ice Slaves were as fierce as ever, and the spiritual Ice Demons floating in mid-air issued range-based howls, accelerating their own clansmen while slowing down the enemies.

Iron Mountain couldn't care about anything else and immediately chose Beast Hao, who was running at the front, to launch a charge ability.

Iron Mountain pitting teammates? He was just a tank type, he just wanted to survive, what was wrong with him?

"Don't you come over!"

Beast Hao, who was running at the front, was furious. No matter how fast he ran, he couldn't get rid of Iron Mountain, who had locked onto him with the charge skill.

"Sorry!!"

Iron Mountain's mentality collapsed, shouting this to Beast Hao.

"I *****..."

Beast Hao gave the most sincere greetings to the female members of Iron Mountain's family for several generations.

A funny scene appeared: Xian Ji flew in the sky, Beast Hao below was running alone, rushing at the front, the great swordsman's escape was so handsome. Located slightly behind him was Iron Mountain, who had locked onto him with the charge skill, and his leg running speed had already become ghost-like.

Further behind were other rule-breakers fleeing in all directions, and at the very back were tens of thousands of monster armies. Among these monsters, there were those flying in the sky, running on the ground, and wandering in the air, everything.

On the ice mountain in the distance, Su Xiao witnessed this scene through binoculars, secretly feeling that these rule-breakers ran really fast, worthy of being eighth-tier rule-breakers.

Leaping off the ice mountain, Su Xiao walked on the boundless ice surface and came to the position where Bee had just pretended to be dead, stabbing with a knife.

Click~

The long knife stabbed into the ice layer. Su Xiao pulled out the long knife and didn't see blood on it. Presumably, Bee had already slipped away.

Only a few dozen "ice sculptures" remained on the ice surface. These were monsters that were dead through and through, no need to pay attention.

"Wang."

Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang ran over. Just halfway through, it turned around in horror, its dog claws scratching the broken ice and splashing.

A figure with only the upper body floated over. Her silver-white long hair was scattered, longer than her upper body, dense and smooth.

Although this Ice Woman only had the upper body, her body length was over 2 meters. Presumably, when her body was complete, her height was nearly 5 meters.

She wore a long dress and a golden crown with a dull color on her head. From the aura sensing, this must be a big boss.

The Ice Queen's figure flashed and appeared in front of Ona. She asked in the Ghost Tribe language: "Secret order."

Ona had never heard of any secret order. Her gaze turned to Su Xiao and Wood.

"Cold · Darkness."

Su Xiao spoke. The Ice Queen turned her gaze, those radial blue pupils looking at Su Xiao. After staring for a few seconds, her figure gradually dissolved in the wind and snow.

Su Xiao didn't choose to take action because he perceived that the Ice Queen's aura was too illusory. This was just an illusion of the other party. Continuing to march toward the north, perhaps he would encounter the other party again.

"How did you know the secret order?"

Ona couldn't figure this out. Hearing this, Su Xiao pointed to a stone tablet not far away, on which was written: 'Secret order, Cold · Darkness.'

Seeing this, Ona had nothing to say. This secret order was really easy to get.

From the clues, Su Xiao learned a lot of information. This stone tablet had a high probability of being erected by the Ghost Tribe. This also meant that the Ghost Tribe was not the kind of group that liked to be hostile to other intelligent creatures as imagined.

Su Xiao arrived near the stone tablet engraved with the secret order and found three arrows pointing toward the depths of the wind and snow below.

The instructions of the three directions, needless to say, Su Xiao, Wood, and Ona decided to act separately. Su Xiao walked according to the middle arrow, Wood walked according to the left arrow, and Ona explored the direction indicated by the right arrow.

Su Xiao moved forward along the instructions. Although the wind and snow around were getting bigger and bigger, the snow on the ground was getting thicker, and it creaked

Following the withered tree markers along the way, Su Xiao traveled for less than an hour before a hole, several meters wide and sloping downward, appeared ahead, with heat wafting out from it.

Walking into the downward-sloping hole, a wave of warmth rushed toward him. When Su Xiao stopped, he was already in a vast underground space.

Although this was underground, it was not dark because many glowing vines grew on the soil layer above.

On both sides of the underground space were many stone buildings. These stone houses were stacked together, looking like a beehive, with fixed ladders crisscrossing above them.

This warm underground space, however, was desolate. This place should have been the residence of the Ghost race, yet not a single Ghost was to be seen.

Moving toward the inner side of the slightly elongated underground space, he hadn't gone far when Su Xiao saw a figure hanging from the vines above. This figure was seventy percent similar to a human; his ears were pointed, his appearance was handsome, and the sides of his eyes looked as if they had been painted with eyeshadow.

On the nearby stone wall, it was covered with tally marks, and the final line read: "Queen, take me with you too."

The surrounding empty houses and the hanged Ghost all revealed a scene of despair. What made the Ghost race so desperate? Was it because of those monsters outside?

Continuing to explore deeper into the underground space, a stone house on the ground floor to the right caught Su Xiao's attention. The door of this stone house was tightly shut, and the window was sealed with wooden boards, withered vines, and the like.

Knock, knock—

Su Xiao knocked on the wooden board over the window, and a voice came from inside.

"Outsider, leave 'Si Yi'. The residents here are all dead, or they have fled to the neighboring 'Qiu Li'."

The Ghost figure inside the stone house spoke in a low, hoarse voice, looking listless.

"There's nothing to be curious about. This was the Queen's decision. She abandoned 'Si Yi' to save 'Qiu Li'. We Ghosts living in 'Si Yi' no longer blame her; she has already paid the price for this, being hacked into two pieces by us, hehehe..."

The Ghost inside the stone house laughed somewhat crazily. He clearly hadn't met a living person in a long time, and his chatterbox opened on its own.

"I have been 'frostbitten' and have no way to leave 'Si Yi'. You saw those monsters when you came, right? If I continue to be exposed to the cold mist, I will also turn into that kind of monster."

"..."

"Outsider, do you have anything to eat?"

"No."

Su Xiao did not believe that the thing inside still had the ability to eat.

"Do you have any wine?"

"..."

Su Xiao took out a bottle of strong liquor. As if sensing his movement, a bone-thin hand reached out from the gap between the wooden boards and withered vines, covered in frost patterns, with skin appearing frost-white.

Before long, the sound of gulping and drinking came from inside.

"Ha—, refreshing," the Ghost inside let out a long breath of wine vapor and continued, "Outsider, how should I repay you?"

"..."

"Come to think of it, I don't have anything to give. Continue walking inside; the old guy in the 'Sealing Palace' might be able to sell you something, but don't kill him. If he dies, the things he is 'suppressing' will crawl out from the ground."

After saying this, the Ghost in the stone house stopped speaking and just kept gulping down the wine.

Su Xiao took out another bottle of wine, stood it on the windowsill, and continued deeper into the underground settlement. The information provided by the other party was certainly worth two bottles of wine.

When Su Xiao reached the innermost part of the underground settlement, a palace appeared ahead.

On the two giant metal doors of the main hall, intricate patterns were carved, and paper talismans covered in tadpole-like script were pasted on, layer upon layer.

These two giant doors had been forcibly smashed open. From the edges of the metal doors, Su Xiao saw deep claw marks and traces of being frozen and shattered.

Walking into the main hall, it looked as if it had been swept by a typhoon. The walls and ceiling were riddled with gullies; a fierce battle had broken out here, and a Ghost's arm bone was deeply embedded in the wall.

Located at the very back of the main hall was a towering stone seat. This seat was pitch black, with slight traces of melting at the base.

On this wide stone chair, there were two long legs, firmly bound to it by chains, and the two long legs were covered in ice crystals.

"The scent of a living person."

A small old man sitting next to the stone chair opened his eyes. This old Ghost had sparse hair, few teeth left, and his eyes were deathly pale. Several chains on the stone seat next to him were embedded into his back.

"It's been a long time since I've seen a living person..."

The old Ghost's words were cut off halfway; he was confused at first, then suddenly realized.

"You are here to find that stone and that piece of iron, Shadow of Law Destruction."

Hearing this, Su Xiao stepped forward quickly. For so long, he had basically never benefited from the Law Destruction faction. Damn it, every time he was recognized as a Law Destroyer, the other side would basically shout: "Brothers, hack this Law Destroyer to death! He is in cahoots with Grimm Gillian and Ma Wen Waltz, hack him to death for me!!"

The Arcane Eternal Star side was a sworn enemy. Among them, the Mage Sage Seraphilia had a deep hatred for Law Destroyers. Come to think of it, the young Seraphilia was not only played by Grimm Gillian but also had her feelings deceived. Afterward, he told Seraphilia: "I am a Law Destroyer. Are you surprised? Is it unexpected?"

If it were just faction hatred, that would be fine, but the problem was that Seraphilia's entire family was killed by Law Destroyers.

Right now, Su Xiao seemed to see the benefits brought by his identity as a Law Destroyer.

The old Ghost seemed to have decided on something and said: "Law Destroyer, according to my Ghost race's records, after the Dark Age ended, the Shadow of Law Destruction came here."

"And then helped you?"

Baha couldn't help but ask.

"No, that Law Destroyer had just arrived when he was besieged by my Ghost race."

Speaking of this, the old Ghost gave a mysterious smile.

"And then?"

"Then my Ghost race was slaughtered by eight or nine tenths, and we became much more honest."

"Damn."

Baha stepped back quietly. Slaughtering 90% of someone's race and almost driving them to extinction—this grudge was too great.

"Later, my Ghost race and the Law Destroyer re-established friendship."

"What was the process?"

"Cough, a lot of things happened. There's no point in talking about those old accounts."

A flash of anger crossed the old Ghost's brows, meaning Baha shouldn't bring up sore subjects.

"I don't have much trust in Law Destroyers, but you Law Destroyers are strong, very strong, and that is enough."

The old Ghost patted the stone chair beside him and continued:

"Let's make a deal. Bring the Ghost Queen back, and the benefits can be paid to you in advance."

The old Ghost briefly explained the situation, which roughly meant that due to the soul-freezing cold outside, the Ghost race had been troubled by alienation for generations. But they couldn't leave the Cold Graveyard; it wasn't that they didn't want to leave, but all paths leading to the "Yada Ancient Capital" were sealed by a wall of fog.

As for the "White Swamp" north of the "Cold Graveyard," the Ghost race also wanted to migrate there to avoid the soul-freezing cold, but unfortunately, they couldn't beat the tribes inhabiting the "White Swamp" and could only occasionally go there to steal some resources, such as food.

Living in the "Cold Graveyard" generation after generation, a massive number of Ghosts turned into Ice Slaves. Long ago, the number of Ice Slaves far exceeded that of the Ghosts.

Before the situation became uncontrollable, the Ghosts built deep underground tombs and, through years of effort, finally managed to trap the massive number of Ice Slaves into the deep underground tombs. They couldn't fight them, so this was the only way.

The underground settlement "Si Yi" where Su Xiao was currently located was situated above the deep underground tombs. Over the years, the number of Ice Slaves thrown in was at least hundreds of thousands, or even a million. What was worse was that these Ice Slaves had undergone severe alienation in the deep underground tombs, and the remaining Abyss power below was even more intense.

The Ghost royal lineage had no choice but to build this palace at the innermost part of "Si Yi" and use the power of strong individuals to suppress the ice-cold emitted by the million Ice Slaves below.

This stone chair was the key to the suppression object. After a powerful Ghost sat on it, he was like a "charger," absorbing the cold air. When the cold air overflowed, he would basically die, and then someone else would take his place, cycling like this.

The Ghost royal lineage was not passed down by blood but by selecting strong individuals to bear the cold of the earth, so as not to let this cold air occupy the few remaining living areas of the Ghost race.

The Ghost race had been like this for generations, until the appearance of the Ghost Queen. She sternly refused to sit on the stone chair, with the attitude that she hadn't become this strong just to be a container.

The Ghost Queen's intention was to lead them to invade the "White Swamp."

A group of high-ranking Ghosts agreed, but the result was a crushing defeat for the Ghost race. Their heads were almost smashed in, and they simply couldn't beat the inhabitants of the "White Swamp."

After returning from the crushing defeat, the Ghost Queen still refused to sit on the stone chair. When the old Ghost and others discovered this, they started a war with the Ghost Queen in this palace. After the Ghost Queen lost her legs, she fled.

This led to the current scene. The Ghost Queen's legs could also be used; they were tied to the stone chair, letting the underground cold air seep into them.

Because the legs had no subjective consciousness and could not fully absorb the underground cold air, the old Ghost pierced the chains on the stone chair into his own body to absorb the ones that slipped through the net.

The old Ghost's intention was to have Su Xiao bring the Ghost Queen back, or alternatively, bring back the crown on her head.

【Hint: You have triggered a side quest.】

【Side Quest: Choice.】

Difficulty Level: Lv. 76–Lv. 78

Quest Information: Bring back the Ghost Queen or the Ghost Crown.

Quest Deadline: 5 natural days.

Quest Reward: Already advanced.

Quest Penalty: None.

This quest was quite strange; not only was the reward advanced, but there was also no penalty.

Su Xiao glanced at the old Ghost. The other party's face was already covered in cracks, clearly unable to hold on for much longer. If this quest failed, the other party would lose hope and likely wouldn't be able to hold on, causing the suppression to fail. The "Underground Settlement: Si Yi" would be blown away by the cold air from below, and a million Ice Slaves heavily eroded by Abyss power would swarm out.

At that time, it would be equivalent to letting the Tree-Born World enter Super-Nightmare difficulty. No wonder there was no penalty for this quest.

Su Xiao chose to accept this side quest. Even if the situation here exploded, he had to find the Soul-Severing Shadow Stone and the Talent Awakening Device before it did. Since he could get a free reward, how could he refuse?

As soon as Su Xiao accepted this quest, a prompt appeared.

【Hint: Because you have accepted the side quest "Choice," the faction shop here will be opened to you (this faction shop only represents Underground Settlement: Si Yi, not the entire Ghost race).】

【Because you have accepted the side quest "Choice," the prices of items in this faction shop will be reduced to the minimum. There are a total of seven types of goods remaining in this faction shop, and you can make the following exchanges.】

1. Soul Crystal Core.

Inventory: 4 pieces.

Price: 1 Soul Coin per piece.

2. Overlord Essence.

Inventory: 1 piece.

Price: 1 Soul Coin per piece.